Maybe that's not enough of a change. Maybe we should think bigger.
Neil Freeman takes realignment to a higher level, and considers what the map of states would look like if they were realigned the way Districts of the House of Representatives are. Here's his view of the 50 states (click the image for his site):
In our present format, the population of states ranges from 493,782 to 33,871,648. In Neil Freeman's depiction, the population of states will range from 5.4 to 5.6 million. Major cities and their suburbs are in the same state. His map restores the historical structure of the electoral college and the political alignment of the United States' federal system.
In this image to the right, I've overlaid the existing state boundaries above our regional map in Neil Freeman's depiction.In the areas that I'm familiar with, these boundaries make contemporary sense. Breaking Upstate New York into Erie, New England, and Susquehanna makes great sense. I think the Ohio split into North Coast and Sohio makes sense. I like the way the State of Allegheny works. I think that the States of Allegheny and Erie would be better off in the new structure than they currently are, combined in the same entity as Philadelphia.
I think we'd have better national politics with a state map like this.
Posts
5 comments:
It still would be ineffective--why would we need to vote if the electoral college was broken up in this even way?
The electoral college is a way to make sure every state has a say and candidates cannot focus on the three most populated states.
This way would be ineffective--why would we need to vote?
The way the electoral college is now, it ensures every state is competitive and each vote counts.
The map in the post is obviously tongue-in-cheek, but how would it discourage voting? In what way is every state competitive in presidential elections? In fact, only about a dozen states have been contested in recent elections, and votes in small swing states (eg New Hampshire or Nevada) count far more than those in large, safe states (California, Texas).
Will this map need to be modified to reflect the new individual rights and political influence of corporations as set forth by the recent Supreme Court decision?
THe current system is grossly unfair. Small states are over represented. We should do away with the Electoral College and the Senate. It leads to gridlock -- where 40 senators can bascially stop government from implementing the will of the large majority of citizens of this county. One pman, one vote is how it should be.
Post a Comment
Comments and Feedback? Love that stuff. Please leave your thoughts in the box below--